Hear from our MP, Chris Heaton-Harris

Daventry Pub of the Year Winners!

Earlier this month I was delighted to host an awards ceremony for my first-ever Daventry Pub of the Year Competition. Pub landlords, managers, staff and supporters gathered from across the constituency at Daventry Town FC to celebrate the results of the competition after an intense summer of voting!

I know just how difficult the past few years have been for pubs, with many getting in touch with me to share concerns regarding reduced footfall, rent payments, reduced opening hours, and industry support. This, along with the ongoing concerns around rising energy prices, has meant it is important, now more than ever before, to support our locals so they are here for generations to come. 

Pubs competed against 80 others across four categories: Daventry Town Pub of the Year, Village Pub of the Year, Dog-Friendly Pub of the Year and Pub Garden of the Year. After over 1000 votes cast I am delighted to announce the following winners of the inaugural Pub of the Year Awards…

Daventry Town Pub of the Year: Middlemore Farm

Village Pub of the Year: The Countryman in Staverton

Dog-Friendly Pub of the Year: Knightley Arms in Yelvertoft

Beer Garden of the Year: The Wheelwright’s Arms in Watford

It was a pleasure to meet the owners of these pubs and hear their fantastic back stories. The Countryman’s current owners recently jumped at the chance to buy the pub off their former managers and have set about transforming the pub into a more welcoming place with fantastic food on offer. 

The Wheelwright’s Arms in Watford is a community-run pub at the heart of the small village who have worked tirelessly to transform their garden into the perfect place to relax with a beer! 

The awards ceremony was also a good opportunity to chat to landlord about the impact of rising energy prices and what the Government is doing to help pub owners weather the winter months ahead. You can read more about what support is available to pubs on my website here: heatonharris.com/SupportforPubs. 

Thank you again to all the pubs for their hard work supporting our communities and for taking part in my first-ever Pub of the Year Competition. Thank you also to everyone for voting and sharing many a heart-warming story of what their local means to them.